Caramel Chocolate Bars (V, GF)

These little treats are hiding everything we love the most but contain no single bad ingredient.

Simple to make, even more simple to eat.

My blog is turning 5 today and what a birthday party would this be without some chocolate? 🙂 I am not a huge baker, therefore I decided to stick to what I do good and share the recipe for these fine little treats with you.

When I first published them on instagram, they were a huge hit, so I figured out you might be interested in a recipe. And I couldn’t find a better timing to share them with you.

If you love chocolate flavor but simple raw treat like these Date and Cocoa Balls can’t satisfy your chocolaty tooth, I suggest you go with these.

Thanks to everyone who has been following me here, on facebook and instagram, trying out my recipes and supporting my love and hobby. Now enough talk – Caramel Chocolate Bars are calling your name!

CARAMEL CHOCOLATE BARS {vegan, sugar-free, gluten free}

This recipe first appeared on culinary postcards (author: Iva Savić)

Biscuit

5 Tbsp almond meal

3 Tbsp coconut flour

1 Tbsp maple syrup (or other liquid sweetner)

5 Tbsp coconut oil (measured when melted)

pinch of salt (optional)

Date caramel

1/2 cup date paste*

1/2 cup hot water

1 Tbsp coconut oil

pinch of vanilla powder

pinch of salt

Chocolate coating

1/3 cup coconut oil (measured when melted)

2 Tbsp date syrup (or other liquid sweetener)**

1/2 cup raw cacao

Method:

make the biscuit

Combine almond meal, coconut flour and salt.

Melt coconut oil and maple syrup then add to dry mixture.

Stir well to combine. You will get a soft, oily cookie-dough like crust. Put it in the fridge for 10 min.

Line loaf pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 F.

Press the dough into pan to form a 1/4 inch thick base.***

Bake for 10 min or until edges start to brown.

make the caramel

Heat the water in a small pot then pour over date paste.

Throw it in a blender, add oil and blend until it becomes smooth.

Spread caramel in a single layer over the cookie crust and place in the freezer for an hour.

make chocolate coating

Melt coconut oil over steam bath, add cacao and date syrup. Stir well to make a mixture smooth and well combined. Leave to cool.

assemble your bars

Take the crust out of the freezer then cut into 7 slices, and each slice into half. You will get 14 bars.

Using two forks, dip each slice into melted chocolate, then array on a cooling rack (use baking paper underneath because some chocolate will drip)

When chocolate sets (you can place them in the freezer for a few minutes) you can make another chocolate layer or few lines (as pictured).

Serve bars straight from the fridge and eat within 5 days. You can keep them in the freezer as well, up to 3 weeks, but in that case I recommend to bring them to room temperature for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

*you can easily replace date paste with dates (go with Medjool), but use a bit more to get enough caramel. SImply unpit them and proceed with the steps as explained above.

**if you like to sweeten things up more a bit, add another Tbsp or two of syrup. I personally like this “dark chocolate” taste because it makes a nice balance to caramel.

***The cookie-base should be around 7-8 inches long. If your pan is longer (like mine), simply form the dough as needed (leaving some free space in the pan).